NEW YORK (Reuters) - The abortion rate in the United States
dipped to its lowest since 1973, coinciding with a steep decline
in overall pregnancy and birth rates, a study from a nonprofit
sexual health organization showed on Sunday.

The rate declined to 16.9 abortions per 1,000 women between
the ages of 15 and 44 in 2011, the latest year studied, which
was well below the 1981 peak of 29.3 per 1,000 and the lowest
since 1973 when the rate was 16.3 per 1,000, the study from
Guttmacher Institute showed.

"With abortion rates falling in almost all states, our study
did not find evidence that the national decline in abortions
during this period was the result of new state abortion
restrictions. We also found no evidence that the decline was
linked to a drop in the number of abortion providers during this
period," says Rachel Jones, lead author of the study.

The decline in abortions coincided with a drop in overall
pregnancy and birth rates, and contraceptive use and methods
improved during the period, Jones said. The recent recession
also led many women and couples to want to avoid or delay
pregnancy and childbearing.

The study also found that the total number of abortion
providers declined by only 4 percent between 2008 and 2011, and
the number of clinics, which provide the large majority of
abortion services, declined by just 1 percent.

While the overall abortion rate declined, the proportion of
abortions that were early medication procedures continued to
increase, according to the study.

An estimated 239,400 early medication abortions were
performed in 2011, representing 23 percent of all non-hospital
abortions, an increase from 17 percent in 2008. The study
estimated that 59 percent of all known abortion providers offer
this service.